


The Summer We Met

by sportamayor



Category: LazyTown
Genre: Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, M/M, Succateers Secret Friend
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 14:00:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11060481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sportamayor/pseuds/sportamayor
Summary: My secret friend exchange gift for psycho-moose-sammy on tumblr, who mentioned Goggi/Jives as something they wanted ;)Goggi is a reluctant camper at the Latibaer Instute of Technology Summer Scholars Program, and Jives is an eager one. The two are paired as roommates and begin to grow closer





	The Summer We Met

**Author's Note:**

> For the Succateers gift exchange, for psycho-moose-sammy. I've never written these two before, and I hope I did ok!

The Latibaer Institute of Technology Summer Scholars Program, despite its lofty name, was, simply put, nerd camp. It was a strange blend of geeky activities and traditional camp activities that might see a camper programming a robot in the morning and then kayaking the afternoon away. Every summer, when the college students were back home, the campus was opened to teenagers who ranged in age between 13 and 18 who had interests in programming, engineering, mathematics, biology, chemistry, computer science, and other similar subjects whose parents wanted them to get at least some time outdoors in the summer.

 

Goggi was one of those lucky campers. Well, lucky was relative, he thought, taking in his surroundings with a sigh as he stepped off the bus. He had really been counting on another glorious summer of video games, television, hot Cheetos, a hopeless circadian rhythm, and two week stretches of never leaving the kitchen, his room, or the bathroom. That,  _ that _ , would have been lucky, he thought. Now, his indoor pursuits would have to have  _ educational value _ or some other bullshit, and he would have to suffer through things like hiking, boating, and swimming. At least they didn’t confiscate his phone like they had at that camp he had gone to for two weeks in 6th grade. 

 

Following the signs and the bedraggled crowd of travel-weary, full bladdered teenagers, he came to the hall where registration was being held. Most of the kids in line seemed to have their parents with them, but his mom hadn’t bothered. “There’s a bus already going that way,” she had said, waving her hand when Goggi had asked if she would at least deign to drop him off at the six week camp she’d dumped on him.

 

“Last name?” A woman with bright hair and a the voice of a forty year smoking habit asked when he reached the registration table.

 

“Mega,” he muttered. “With an M.”

 

“That’s a weird last name,” the woman said. He stifled an eye .roll

 

“I know,” Goggi said. 

 

“Here’s your welcome packet, which includes a schedule and map among other essential items, dorm assignment and key, and camp tee shirt,” she said, handing him a haphazard pile of the items she had listed. He noted her  _ my name is _ tag: Stina. “I’ll need your health form, behavior contract, and any contraband you might have.”

 

“Contraband?”

 

“You know, drugs, weapons, alcohol, fireworks, et cetera. Your counselors will ask again, in case you don’t want to give it to me.”

 

“Counselors?”

 

“The college students assigned to your dorm floor and outings. They’re college students. Some of them go to LIT, some of them are more…...outdoorsy. Yours are….let’s see….your floor is Stefansson 2nd floor, so…. _ oh _ . Well, good luck with those two.”

 

_ Okay then _ , Goggi thought.  _ There’s a good sign. _

 

“Your room is Stefansson 208. Next?” Stina waved him away from the table. 

 

Goggi set down his duffle bag to rifle through his folder of information for his map.

 

“What building are you looking for?” Goggi looked up. Was he so obvious in his total disorientation? A lanky boy with shaggy hair and a green beanie despite the heat was standing next to him, a stuffed-to-the-gills backpack slung casually over one shoulder. “I was on the bus too. I’m in Stefansson. The map said it was down this path a few buildings and to the right.” The boy indicated a folded up piece of paper stuffed in the front pocket of his green and yellow plaid shirt.

 

“Um, thanks,” Goggi said, stuffing all his papers back in the folder haphazardly.

 

“So, what’s your specialty?”

 

“Specialty?”

 

“You know, whatever you signed up for? Math, robotics….?” The boy looked at him expectantly. “Everyone has one. You pick when you enroll.”

 

“Whatever my mom chose, I guess,” Goggi muttered, suddenly feeling a sense of dread rush through him. There was no way his mom had chosen what he wanted.

 

Though, he wasn’t really sure what he wanted out of all the options. Was going home and watching  _ Arrested Development _ for the twelfth time an option.

 

“I’m doing biology,” the boy said. “I want to work with plants when I’m older.”

 

“Sounds cool, I guess,” Goggi said. “Most of my favorite food isn’t made of plants.”

 

“Meat, then?”

 

“No, like….Pop Tarts.”

 

“What do you think wheat is, dummy?” the boy asked. Goggi glanced at him. “Sorry, sorry. I just meant-”

 

“It’s fine,” Goggi assured him. He was a little taken aback, but he admired the other boy’s candor. They walked in silence until they reached Stefansson Hall, a towering red brick dormitory building with old fashioned architecture. There were even columns on the front facade. 

 

“Wow,” the other boy said under his breath. Goggi looked at him. He had a delicate face, and his eyebrows were raised slightly. It was just a building, Goggi thought.

 

“Alright, well, I’ll see you around,” Goggi said, walking inside. He looked around for the staircase, and began heading for 208.

 

He opened the door to find two twin beds with bare blue mattresses, two desks with computers, two tiny little closets and a bedside table each. Nothing in the information he had found online had mentioned a roommate. Still, maybe he didn’t have a roommate, maybe it was just furniture left over from the college’s spring semester.

 

All of his introvert dreams were dashed by the sound of a key in the lock behind him. Goggi made a split second decision, sizing up the closets, and took the right hand side of the room, claiming it by throwing his duffle down hastily just as the door swung open.

 

“Oh, it’s you!” The green-beanied boy waved a hand in recognition. “Wassup, I guess this calls for a real introduction! Yo, I’m Jives.” 

 

“Goggi,” he said, smiling back at the boy. He felt a tingle of happiness that he’d get to spend more time with- 

 

_ Stop! You just met him! _

 

“Cool name! So, I’m seventeen, never been here before, and my specialty is bio. Oh wait, you knew that already. So, like, how old are you?”

 

“I’m seventeen too,” Goggi said.

 

“Well, might as well get settled in,” Jives said, nonchalantly tossing his bag onto the bed.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

That evening, after dinner in the dining hall (tacos and ice cream), the boys of Stefansson second floor gathered in the common room to meet their counselors and each other. A muscular college student in a yellow hoodie whistled to get their attention.

 

“Hi guys! My name is-” here he muttered a series of incomprehensible vaguely IKEA sounding syllables- “but you can call me Ithro for short. I’m so excited to be back and to meet all of you!”

 

“Glanni,” said the second counselor in lieu of introduction.

 

“All of you on Stefansson second floor are seventeen year old boys, so though we expect you to be a bit more mature than some of the rest of our campers, we still have some expectations……”

 

Goggi could feel himself zoning out as the counselor droned on and on. The chair he was sitting in was on wheels, and he slowly spun in his chair as the spiel went on. Beside him, Jives was listening in rapt attention, hanging onto every last word. 

 

After everyone had gone around and said their name, specialty, and a fun fact about them, it was time to head to their first campfire. Goggi fell into step beside his roommate, by merit of them being the only one the other knew. 

 

“I hope there’ll be s’mores,” the other boy was saying. “I’ve never had one before.”

 

“What? I never even leave my room and somehow I’ve had s’mores. That’s crazy. You’re crazy.”

 

“I’m not crazy, I’m just…..” Jives frowned. “Well, let’s just say a lot of things that other kids have done….I haven’t.”

 

“Well, I’m sure you’ll love them,” Goggi assured him.

 

“Me too. I love chocolate, I love cookies, I love marshmallows…..mmmmmm.”

 

“Uh, wait, you know that they’re made with graham crackers, not marshmallows, right?”

 

“Wait, really?” Jives seemed crestfallen.

 

“”But they’re still super good. You’ll see.”

 

He did. After everyone had had one, Jives went back for a second, then a third, then a fourth. Goggi raised his eyebrow. 

 

“Wow, you weren’t kidding,” he teased. But the other boy, instead of poking fin back or sputtering to defend himself, looked away, cheeks burning in shame. He lowered his half-eaten s’more.

 

“I…..”

 

“Oh my god, it’s okay, Jives, I was just kidding,” he assured him.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

That night, after they had turned off the light, Goggi was lying in bed when he had a sudden urge to ask something.

 

“Jives?”

 

“What’s up, yo?”

 

“Have you ever been away from home for this long before?”

 

Jives snorted. “You could say that,” he muttered.

 

“Oh.” Goggi didn’t quite know how to reply. He was hoping for a bit of validation, maybe some confirmation that he wasn’t alone in his uncertainty.

 

“It’s going to be fine,” Jives said.

 

They laid in silence for a while.

 

“You know, that whole s’mores thing….” Goggi trailed off. “I just wanted to apologize again.”

 

“No need, dude,” Jives assured him. “Not all of us are used to having as much food as we want sometimes, that’s all. Foster care fun times.”

 

More silence.

 

“Good night, Jives.”

 

“G’night, bro.”

 

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

The first few days passed by in a flutter of introductions, weird traditions, and bug bites. It turned out his mom had signed him up for the animation program, and it was kind of frustrating. The process was even more tedious than he ever would have imagined when he watched animated TV shows. Every three seconds he felt like throwing his arms up in defeat. Weirdly enojugh, he actually found himself looking forward to the outdoorsy field trips every afternoon with his floor.

 

_ Because you get to spend the time with Jives _ , his mind pointed out. He and Jives spent most of their time together went they weren’t in their specialty classes: at meals, on the bus to and from the state parks where they did some of their outdoors activities, at evening free time and common room time. They were getting close, despite only knowing each other for a few days. It was a long few days, though. 

 

_ Shut up! He’s a friend. It’s not another stupid crush. _

 

“Hey, ready to go?” Ithro poked his mustachioed head into their room. “Don’t forget to wear shorts you don’t mind getting wet!”

 

“Coming!” Goggi said.

 

“I’m gonna go change, then,” Jives said. “One sec.” He rifled in his closet (not that there were many clothes there to rifle through) for a pair of worn green basketball shorts. He darted out the door after Ithro’s disappearing form and down to the bathroom. “Meet you on the bus!” He shouted after him.

 

_ Why does he never change in here?  _ Goggi wondered. His paranoia surfaced.  _ Can he tell that I’m….? _

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Kayaking was a lot more taxing than it looked. Halfway through their excursion, Goggi looked up from his paddling to see that Glanni the counselor had given up entirely on paddling, relying on Ithro on the back of his kayak to propel them in the right direction, crossing his arms over his chest and looking altogether miserable. Though, with a glance at Ithro’s muscles, it didn’t look like it would be a problem for him. In front of Goggi, Jives seemed to be struggling as much as he was.

 

“This sucks, man,” Jives said.

 

“Yeah, totally,” Goggi said.

 

“Whose idea was it to get the nerdiest teenagers ever and make them go hiking and shit all day?” 

 

“Not mine, that’s for sure.” They laughed. “Though, can I be totally honest?”

 

“Of course.”

 

“Camp doesn’t suck as much as I thought it was going to. I mean, I made friends, which I didn’t think I was going to.”

 

“Friend. You made  _ friend _ ,”  Jives corrected him. “Do you even know anyone else here?”

 

“Of course I do! That’s Nenni and Hannin,” Goggi said, gesturing at the next kayak over.

 

“Wrong. There are two boys named Nenni and Hannin, but they’re way behind us.”

 

“Well, half points for getting it somewhat right?”   
  


“Not even close!” Jives splashed him with water with his paddle.

 

“Hey!” Goggi splashed him back. Jives sputtered and coughed before splashing him back again. The splashing escalated and neither of them noticed that their boat was tipping until it was too late. Goggi and Jives were plunged head first into the lake’s green water, soaked immediately.

 

Goggi surfaced after a few seconds. Despite not having gone swimming for years, the muscle memory was strong and he treaded water as the kayak bobbed under the surface. The paddles were designed to float, too, which was probably a good thing. But his friend had been under for a worryingly long time.

 

Goggi began to scream at the counselors. Ithro was the lifeguard for trips like this. He paddled over, strong arms making quick work of the choppy water, and dove in without so much as a little rocking of the boat. Soon, his head and Jives’s both broke the surface. Jives coughed roughly.

 

“You! Flip the kayak upright,” Ithro shouted to him. Goggi did as he asked. Ithro heaved Jives’s skinny body onto the boat and swam back to his own, waiting nearby. Glanni’s cool nonchalance seemed broken for once as he watched his co-counselor paddle back to them.

 

“Jives! We said that anyone who can’t swim had to wear their life vest, not just have it strapped to the boat,” Ithro chastised.

 

“But I would have been the only one wearing it,” Jives said miserably, voice rough from all of the coughing.

 

“You would have been the only one  _ dead _ . Put on the life vest.” 

 

Jives said nothing, just nodded.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

That night, it was Friday night, so there was another campfire. Jives, despite his usual insatiable appetite, barely touched his, not joining in the boys’ conversations (they were sitting with Nenni and Hannin, as well as the boys Goggi had  _ thought _ were Nenni and Hannin) about such matters as the girls in their classes and the latest gaming consoles’ various merits and flaws. Goggi had gotten into an extremely heated debate on whether or not virtual reality goggles were worth buying (he had been saving up for a set for a year now) and he looked over to Jives for backup, finally noticing that the other boy had checked out of the conversation before it had even begun. 

 

“What’s the matter, Jives?”

 

Jives didn’t respond.

 

“Jives and I are going to go get another,” Goggi announced, grabbing his friend by the arm and guiding him away from the group. The stars were beginning to come out, and it was a perfectly clear night.

 

“Let’s sneak away,” Jives said.

 

“Um, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea,” Goggi said, but Jives was already walking around the side of the nearest building. Beyond the main campus was a little enclave of humanities buildings which were deserted in the summertime (and, let’s be honest, during the college semesters too; it was a technological institute after all). In between the Bjornsdottir Center For Performing Arts and the six-foot shrubs that encircled the marble building was enough space for two to lie down if they braved the scratchy bushes first.

 

They laid in silence for a while.

 

“Sorry,” Jives said. “I just…...a lot happened today, and I wasn’t in the mood to sit around talking about some rich kid shit I’m never going to be able to afford anyway.”

 

“No, it’s okay.”

 

“It’s just hard to feel like I belong here sometimes. Everyone’s so rich and smart…..”

 

“You’re here on a merit scholarship, dude, you’re the smartest out of anyone on our floor.”

 

“But everyone’s had such good educations that I feel like such a loser in class.”

 

“That’s nothing you can help! Besides, you’re not the only one who doesn’t fit in here,” Goggi said.

 

“How,” Jives said, edge in his voice. “You’ve got more than three outfits here. You’re not on scholarship. You can  _ swim _ .”

 

“I’m gay,” Goggi blurted out. “All the boys here do is talk about the girls. Well, when they’re not talking about gaming.”

 

“You are?”

 

“Yeah. Is that….you’re not like, weirded out to live with me now, are you?” Goggi was suddenly anxious.

 

“No way, dude! Besides, I’m not exactly cishet here, if you know what I mean.”

 

“You……”

 

“I’ll let you put two and two together there.”

 

“Good. Okay, that’s a relief.”

 

“It is?”

 

“I just meant-” Goggi felt flustered. “I just meant to know you won’t freak out or tell my secret. No one really knows. Not my parents, not the others.”

 

“Your friends back home? Do they know?”

 

“No. Well, because they don’t really exist.”

 

“Same, yo.”

 

More silence.

 

“Goggi?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“It would be okay, I mean….if you meant a relief like-” Jives broke off. It was his turn to be flustered.

 

“Like…..”

 

“Like if you meant you were relieved because it meant. Um.” Jives cleared his throat. “That we were like, compatible?”

 

“Oh my god,” Goggi said before he could stop himself. “Really?”

 

“Yeah, if you’d be okay with that.”

 

“Are you asking me out?”

 

“Weren’t you?”

 

“I don’t know. I’m confused.”

 

“Is that a yes?”

 

“Wait, what?”   
  


 

“Ok, I’m asking you out. Is that a yes?”

 

“Yes, that’s a yes.”

 

Jives rolled his eyes. “You’re impossible.”

 

The narrow sliver of sky they could see in between the building and the hedges had grown dark, and the stars were brilliant in the night sky. Goggi could feel a hand brushing against his and he took it tentatively, barely able to catch his breath.

 

“We should head back soon,” Jives said.

 

“Okay,” he replied.

 

But neither of them would move for a long, long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, if I have time, I'd love to expand on this! We'll see what the future holds :)


End file.
